"And there came three birds who began singing such a song that all the songs they had previously heard were without harmony compared to this."
___Branwen, Daughter of Llyr, from "The Mabinogion
When the remnant of a British host returned from a disastrous war against the Irish, bringing with them the remains of their great leader Bran, they entered into the otherworldly sequestration. Rhiannon (Hree-ANN'on), the British goddess who eases the burdened soul, sent her three birds to sing their melodious song.
This period of temporary forgetfulness of all that had passed was a wonderful recreation for Bran's followers after their dreadful defeat. Their leader was able to speak with them, easing their sense of loss and anxiety. They remained in the otherworld until one of the men opened a door that had been forbidden to them; when it opened, serial time began again for the survivors, and they continued their journey in full remembrance of all that had happened.
The birds of Rhiannon still sing to us in times of loss, illness, or crisis, bringing their gifts of tears, forgetfulness, and laughter. These three gifts are central to any recovery or restoration. Tears help us discharge our pain and sorrow, so that there is room for healing to enter in. A period of forgetfulness or sleep enables the fraught soul to cease its mental turmoil and find rest. Without such a period of respite, the anguish could become overwhelming. The gift of joy and laughter reconnects us with the everyday world once again and is a real sign of life.
The resumption of everyday life often seem to us as sudden as the opening of the door in the otherworldly island of Gwales. Time runs, life is lived, and past events take their place in the treasury of memory once again.
"Ask your spiritual allies to remove from memory some burden of your remembrance."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]
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